Snow traction in 2WD? Just avoid it?

Hey All,


For those who live where there is snowfall, what traction settings do you guys use in snow when in 2WD? I have a 4WD Tundra but I usually only switch the 4WD on when its truly needed. Been driving in snow all my life so its not for lack of practice or experience. I’ve had front wheel drives, rear wheel drives, other truck etc. This is my first year with the Tundra, an so far I’ve been a bit let down. My driveway is pretty steep, but I came from a Tacoma 4cly 5 speed 4x4 which had worn mud tires an I was able to crawl up the driveway usually without issue in 2WD and that’s open diff as well.. So far in the few small storms of only few inches each, I can’t even make it ¼ the way up. What gives? At one point I switched to 4WD and still couldn’t move, had to back down. My tires are like new all season type jobs which in a way I expected to be better in snow then a mud tire. Makes me think if I am even on normal roads with slight inclines I'm going to be screwed. I’m guessing its the added power and weight that’s working against me.. Just curious is there any setting that can help in 2WD in snow? I guess the simple answer is I use 4WD, as that’s why I have 4WD to begin with, or get a locker or LSD. Just wondering what others have experienced.

Thanks!

 

I’ve been running winter tires on my truck and it makes a big difference over the all seasons (especially the stock ones), rarely do I have to use 4wd.

 

You need excellent snow tires on all 4 wheels, and a set of chains that are easy to install & remove.

 

"all-seasons" means 3-seasons or Florida. If you get snow and ice, you need winter boots. I just got the nokians which I've been using on the last few vehicles. I find they're better than the ice-x and blizzaks. I haven't found anything better. I don't get the studded ones as we get snow-melt-snow-melt and I can't imagine studs on bare pavement...

 

Without a locker or limited slip a little ice under one tire can stop my truck cold coming out of a parking spot or where I stop to get the mail with a slight incline to pull. Never had an issue once travelling down the road so much, just pulling from a stop.

 

I drove into and back (work canceled) in 2 wheel drive. Rather dicey in a couple spots. The wheel spin light lit a couple times but no problems

 

You answered your own question; use the 4WD.
I turn it on as soon as the road has any snow coverage. 4WD keeps you driving in a straight line, gets you hole shots at stop signs and you can drive faster than in 2WD.
The gas mileage is the same as in 2wd anyway, winter in WI gets me 13.7 MPG literally all the time.

Bear

 

I haven’t had the opportunity this year to drive in any snow or ice, but last year I drove up to Mt Hood in snow and ice, as well as drove some employees in from snowed-in areas, with some steep hills.
I was generally fine in 2wd, but I did select 4 high for some of it. Felt solid, and I couldn’t even MAKE the truck slide in 4WD.
My previous car of 11 years was a 2007 Camry with front wheel drive. I hated driving on anything slick, but at times had to to get home! After so many years of that, the truck feels like it has claws. My experience has been good.

 

I have had two Tundras back to back, a 2015 and a 2019 (current), and have had the opportunity to drive in bad winter conditions with all seasons (early in year before winters go on) and two different brands of winter tires. I do a lot of mountain pass driving so good winter tires are a must. I can say the truck is practically useless in the snow with all seasons, they really are just summer tires.

With winter tires the difference is remarkable and with excellent winter tires the difference is STARK. On my new truck I went with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV and they are phenomenal. I used to use 4x4 all the time with the previous winters on my 2015 but rarely feel the need to now. Only if I need to haul ass or if it is really icy. If you live where there is regular snow winter tires at a minimum but really, excellent winter tires makes the most difference.

 

^^ THAT. I have the same winter tires.

 

It's actually crazy how well they work. How well it corners, stops and lays down power almost feels like cheating physics. I like driving the Tundra in snow with the Hakkas better than my wife's Q7 with Blizzak DMV2s and the Blizzaks are excellent tires.

 

It's our first year with the truck, luckily not much snow yet and I'm coming from all wheel tires on a 2WD Sienna, so can deal with it.

But I think next year I'm going for a set of these too and make sure I get them on early for the snow. We can literally have snow/ice from Nov 01 to end of April, so it's a worthwhile investment.

 

I have those tires on my truck and they are excellent in snow/icy conditions. I highly recommend them.

 

Seems like a lot of votes for winter tires. I have usually bought dedicated snow tires for my cars, so I suppose it makes perfect sense, just never really thought of it on a truck.. don't ask why,.. But seems it could help the issue a lot..

Thanks all

 

I do fine in most snow in 2wd with my Michelin defenders. Sometimes I need 4wd and often I use 4wd just to get it some use and snow is the best and safest time to use it. I have tried it with trac on and also trac off and lsd engaged and I like lsd better just cuz that trac makes some awful noises.
If I could do one thing in the snow it would be to disable the ABS system, I thought about pulling the fuse but for the most part there is more normal road driving than snowy road driving here in CT. I hate Toyota ABS in slick conditions

 

Folks living in blizzard states please clue me in, in California i can get away with AT tires that have the 3 peak mountain snowflake designation going into pretty much any condition that we get here. Would this also work in like states like Minnesota?

 

Some states, counties, require chains on certain roads and passes when they are snow covered. Other than that dedicated snow tires are better than a snowflake rated AT, I don't run either, i have Michelin defenders and they have been the best non-snow tire, snow tire I have had, better than any AT I have had.

 

Think its due to weight distribution in the ass end along with wheel base and power. My 4cly 5speed taco went much better in the snow in 2wd than my tundra does, and the tundra has better tires than the taco did..

 

I will add to the pile-on. Get winter tires and put weight in the back. I just put a set of cooper m+s on my stock rims and they are a great performing value priced tire. My only gripe is that they throw stones pretty good...other than that they handle well, are quiet and grip very well. I also have 400 pounds of sand in the back (as someone in another thread was wondering about.) Our auto LSD is a joke and the other nannies dont help either. drive in 2wd with good tires and weight and you'll be safe.

 

It all depends on the area. I moved from Ontario to Alberta - in Ontario I could do all seasons ok, maybe a couple days where the AS would be a little nerve wracking but I wasn't a fan of spending $2k for 2 days of needed improvement. In Alberta you need to get winter tires, the combination of wind, cold, and lack of plowing in areas makes all season tires about as useful as hockey pucks.

 

Exactly! Weight in the truck is key. I had a regular cab 8ft box truck for years. I would put 400lbs of sand in the bed each winter with a set of Firestone winter tires and I went everywhere in 2wd. Also momentum and keeping the tires from spinning are huge. But dont be afraid to use the 4wd. Its good to use and make sure everything is working as it should.

 

People will say they get along fine with all seasons in winter conditions and that is obviously true; people do it all the time. But that is missing the point. As I stated above I have driven the Tundra with all seasons and a couple different winter tires. I've even driven it in snow with all seasons (brand new Michelin LTX AT2) and the Hakkas in the same day and the difference is fn staggering. You may very well get by ok with all seasons but the reality is just how much better good winter tires are at their job. If you live in an area that is regularly wintry for a good part of the year why would you not want the best performance? I'm not talking about jut a little advantage, the advantage is huge.

 

Used studded tires in WV. They tried to outlaw them but miners said they could not get to work and would strike. Fun to do burn outs at night. They throw sparks. Don't get behind one that is spinning on snow or ice they can throw studs like bullets.

 

\shivers thinking about little stud-bullets dinging off the paint... throws up a little. Curls up into a little ball and cries a little. Not afraid to admit it...

 

I notice a similar issue with mine in 2wd. But I have the wildpeak A3’s and on a similar steep drive I have no issues, but need the 4wd. Same when I tried to back into another driveway with a foot or so of snow at the road. Pop into 4wd and no issues. I haven’t needed to add weight in the bed, but I am sure that would help in more extreme conditions.
4wd with good tires makes a world of difference.

 

In response to your 2nd question.
If at all possible, I avoid driving when winter conditions set in.

 

These are my cooper discoverer m+s and the frame and sandbags in the back of my truck. The weight in the back plus the tires make it so I don’t randomly slide off the road. I live in Ontario where they salt and sand the roads, which is very helpful (though horrible for other reasons) but the 401 is a death trap when it snows hard despite the plows and brine and sand (3 people died on the stretch of 401 I consider my area last week) and if you live in the boonies they don’t plow your road at all (my road). As has been said, you can get by without winter tires, people did it for many decades, but there is no reason to not get them. You can get a set of used tundra rims on kijiji or craigslist for you Americans for peanuts and get a set of even used winter tires for nothing. My brand new discoverers in the stock 255/70r18 size were 175 each CAD...that’s regular price, and I got 50 bucks back from cooper. That’s really really cheap, and they work as well as any other brand I’ve ever had, and now my summer rims and tires will last twice as long...so I won’t be buying tires every 4 years.

anyways, I think the OP gets the point lol.

 

The problem is there is no weight on the rear axle, so even with descent tires your not going to get great traction. If you end up putting extra weight in the rear its going to help but also cost you in MPG, your better off just using 4WD as soon as the roads get slick, its not going to cost you much and the difference could be between getting in an accident or not getting in to an accident... I've also driven just about everything in the snow, trucks, jeeps, cars, even a Fiero (remember those)... You haven't lived until you driven a Fiero in a snow storm...

 

Do you have a picture of your truck with these on, please?

 

I'll take a couple of pics when I leave the lab in an hour.. what specifically do you want to see?